FabTrads

About the Project

FabTrads involved the testing and characterisation of the thermal and hygrothermal properties of a wide range of traditional and historic building wall fabrics and constituent materials.

FabTrads was funded by the SEAI under RDD scheme 21/RDD/729 and concluded 06/2025.

The project team included Dr Oliver Kinnane, Dr Rosanne Walker, Dr Caroline Engel Purcell and PhD candidate Anna Hofheinz from University College Dublin.

The project was undertaken in collaboration with project partners Carrig Conservation, and with a steering group including members from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Environment Climate and Communications, the Office of Public Works, Dublin City Council, ICOMOS Ireland and the Irish Georgian Society.

Project Abstract

1 in 6 Irish buildings is of traditional construction – a proper understanding of their material characteristics is essential to their conservation and energy performance rating. FabTrads will identify the hygrothermal performance of a large sample set of traditional building materials and fabrics, outputting high-quality data for use in the National Calculation Methodology. It will identify the range of hygrothermal performance of these materials in practice, thereby providing key data for further modelling and guidance for future retrofit of traditional buildings. The research project will be undertaken by a small, core team with a strong track record in the analysis of traditional buildings and with extensive experience in the testing of building materials in the laboratory and in situ. Fab Trads will monitor a robust sample size of traditional building materials and assemblies, including all those listed in the Topic 8 call. The testing will be carried out both in the laboratories of UCD and in situ in traditional buildings. A sample set of buildings has already been identified for in-situ u-value testing, and materials will be sourced from buildings under conservation through the team’s network of contacts in the field. The project builds on an established and effective collaboration of these academics with conservationists, councils and the OPW. This collaboration will develop guidance documents and compliant datasets for use in the National Calculation Methodology, as well as disseminate the research widely through national and international industry and scientific academic publications.

FabTrads Dissemination Day

A half-day in-person dissemination event was held on Tuesday, 3 December 2024 at the Irish Georgian Society, 58 South William St, Dublin 2.